1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of producing a pre-wet dust free form of asbestos short fibers by agglomerating the fibers in the presence of a relatively small amount of particular liquids, and a composition of same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The process of manufacturing asbestos results in asbestos fibers of various lengths. The longer asbestos fibers are useful in various types of products and the short asbestos fibers, sometimes called "floats", are useful in other types of products, notably as reinforcing agents and thickening agents in various types of materials. Asbestos short fibers comprise about 30% of the product in an asbestos manufacturing operation.
Medical evidence gathered over the last forty years demonstrates a clear and direct relationship between several respiratory diseases, mostly notably lung cancer, and chronic inhalation of air-borne particles of asbestos. The incidence of such asbestos related diseases is almost exclusively industrial and occurs predominantly among workers who smoke and have a 10-20 year history of occupational exposure to air-borne asbestos particles.
The most hazardous form of asbestos is the short fibers, since the longer fibers are heavier and do not easily become air borne. The short fibers are usually sold in bulk form in bags or bales to various industries, and it is almost impossible to avoid the creation of a substantial amount of air-borne asbestos fibers in the process of handling these materials.
Some development efforts on the part of asbestos manufacturers have resulted in dry, compressed sheets or pellets of short fiber asbestos, giving this normally bulky material a more compact form and making it more economical to ship and weigh and handle the asbestos. However, these compacted forms still release asbestos short fibers to the air when exposed to the atmosphere, making a dust-free environment difficult to maintain.
Another disadvantage of compacted asbestos lies in the fact that such asbestos pellets or sheets are difficult to break up and disperse for admixture with other materials, thus requiring a high intensity of energy and protracted mixing times to effect such dispersion.
Because compacted forms of asbestos are so energy intensive in processing, they are not popular among manufacturers. Bulky loose forms, with all their problems with air-borne asbestos fibers, are still predominantly used.
Two principal objects of the present invention are to provide a dust-free form of asbestos short fibers for purposes of industrial safety and to provide a uniform, pre-wet granular form of asbestos short fibers that can be transported, weighed, measured, and compounded with other materials with the least possible expenditure of time and energy.